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We are pleased to announce that OpenTable seated more than two million diners around the globe on Valentine’s Day, making it the highest volume day in our company’s history. Approximately half of the diners seated on Valentine’s Day booked via their mobile devices.

“It’s exciting to play a key role in helping more than two million diners around the globe find the perfect restaurant for Valentine’s Day,” said our own Matt Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of OpenTable. “Valentine’s Day is one of the most important, operationally-intensive days for our restaurant customers, and we’re incredibly proud to be an ingredient in the joy they bring to their guests on February 14th and throughout the year.”

Approximately 45 percent of these diners booked their reservations during the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, and more than 10 percent booked on Valentine’s Day, the day diners consulted OpenTable at a peak rate of 400 searches per second.

If you’re an OpenTable diner with an iPhone and the latest version of the OpenTable mobile app, you can now review restaurants in real time right from your phone. The days of trying to remember whether you ordered a flat iron or flank steak the night or the week before are over. You no longer have to wait until you get back in front of a computer to share your experiences; now you can start writing your review as soon as you’re done dining.

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To begin crafting reviews on your iPhone, be sure you’re running version 8.3.0 of OpenTable on your iPhone. Launch the app, and then select ‘Profile’ in the upper left corner of the screen. Scroll down to view ‘Past Reservations’ and click on ‘Write A Review’ – and start sharing your thoughts with the restaurant and your fellow diners.

At OpenTable, we power great dining experiences, but the best thing about OpenTable isn’t the places we are or the products we make; it’s the people who work here. And now, you can get to know them in our new video — and discover why we think OpenTable is a truly special company.

There are many reasons the folks you’re about to meet love being at OpenTable every day: the opportunity to work in an organization that is equally passionate about both restaurants and technology; the satisfaction that comes with producing the tools restaurants need to provide diners with amazing hospitality experiences; and, of course, the chance to create and implement groundbreaking technologies.

Once you get here, you’ll see that we are passionate about all kinds of things, from amazing food and drink to personal pursuits that spill over into the professional. Yes, we really did have a Kentucky Derby race in the office. We really do have engineers who make mouthwatering waffles and build bespoke coffee bars — along with a CEO who really can catch flies with his bare hands. And, this really is a company that embraces you from the minute you walk in the door (and we’re not just talking about Alex!).

The very best steak tartare I ever ate almost had too much of everything — spice, salt, lemon. Almost. And, yet, it was perfection, coming right up to the line without crossing it. Indeed, if you like your beef wriggling and raw, as Gollum would say, and well seasoned, then tartare is the perfect dish for you. Most aficionados understand that it is a dish that can go very, very right — or very, er, not so right. Fortunately, OpenTable diners are encountering absolutely sublime versions of this raw delight. While versions of steak tartare date back to the beginning of the 20th century, my copy of Larousse Gastronomique from 1961 has a recipe for a very contemporary take on tartare. Find out what your fellow eaters are saying about this fresh meat treat.

* Central 214, Dallas, Texas: “We sampled several appetizers/small plates to start, including steak tartare, melon salad, and scotch egg. But the tartare was perfect; I’d have been happy with an entree sized portion.”

* Crush, Seattle, Washington: “All of our courses were delicious and inventive, although I’d say my carrot soup was the best and my husband would say his beef tartare was the best.”

* Eleven Madison Park, New York, New York: “Especially liked the tableside take on steak tartare that was made with carrots and the duck.”

* Fig & Olive-Melrose Place, West Hollywood, California: “Our favorite dish was the beef tartare, unique with its delicious olives blended with the meat. We both said we’d be back for that dish again.”

* Gentleman Farmer, New York, New York: “Every dish we had was a culinary slay. I highly recommend the bison tartare and the filet mignon with foie gras. ”

* Gordon Ramsay Steak, Las Vegas, Nevada: “The steak tartare was delicious with a great smoke flavor smoked right under a glass dome at the table.”

* Le Patriarche, Quebec, Quebec: “Many aspects of our meal were outstanding, but the trilogy of young buffalo (tartare, carpaccio, and terrine) narrowly beat out the lamb as the best dish of the night.”

Caroline Potter

Caroline Potter is the Chief Dining Officer for OpenTable, Inc. She’s a dining trend-spotter and an OpenTable VIP, who dines out more than she eats in and has accrued more than 10,000 Dining Rewards points. Caroline started working in restaurants as a teen and she's since tackled every front-of-the-house job, from bartender and hostess to runner and server. She trained as a chef at Manhattan’s prestigious French Culinary Institute, cooking at L’Ecole. In addition to her role at OpenTable, she has written about food from farm to table for New York City’s famed Greenmarket and Edible Brooklyn and Edible East End magazines. Caroline is also a Certified Master Gardener.